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Heidi Shafer was first elected to the Shelby County Commission in 2010. But when she is talking about the way county government works, she often goes further back than that to her experience as an aide to her predecessor on the commission, Dr. George Flinn.

The Overton Park Conservancy raised $1 million by the Monday deadline to move ahead with the Overton Park-Memphis Zoo parking compromise. The conservancy announced Sunday afternoon that it met the goal with hours to spare with more details to come Monday on how this came together.

Melissa Harris-Perry, the former MSNBC host who last month penned a New York Times op-ed challenging the relevance of the NAACP, will be one of the keynote speakers at the Memphis Branch NAACP’s June 24 Freedom Fund Luncheon.

The diversity officer for FedEx Express, an attorney and long-time civil and political activist, and a member of the federal advisory board to the U.S. Transportation Department are the three co-chairs of the Freedom Fund Luncheon, June 24, that will mark the centennial of the Memphis Branch NAACP.

The diversity officer for FedEx Express, an attorney and long-time civil and political activist, and a member of the federal advisory board to the U.S. Transportation Department are the three co-chairs of the Freedom Fund Luncheon, June 24, that will mark the centennial of the Memphis Branch NAACP.

One check of the 2017 NFL Draft shows why Tennessee was the favorite to win the SEC East Division last fall.

UT had six players drafted in the first four rounds, the most for the program since 2002, breaking a two-year drought with no players. The six Vols drafted tied for the most since 2010 and 2007. Eight Vols were drafted in 2003 and 10 drafted in 2002.

As the city of Memphis closed in on buying body cameras and other associated technology for its police department, the inner circle around Memphis Mayor A C Wharton was concerned.

They were concerned that Taser International, the camera supplier the city had picked, wasn’t getting close to the goal the city had set of at least 10 percent participation by minority- and women-owned business enterprises – MWBEs – in the total project spend.

KNOXVILLE – There’s nothing like going into the offseason on a high note. The Vols will be riding the momentum from the resounding 45-28 victory against Iowa in the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl through the end of recruiting season, winter workouts, spring practices and into the summer months.

December was always sort of depressing. How could it not be? If you’re a college football player and you’d just finished another disappointing season, losing many more games than you had won, how were you supposed to be excited by the bowl season?

At the end of the Shelby County Democratic Party’s annual Kennedy Day fundraiser in January, former Memphis City Council member and state Rep. Carol Chumney, who was not among the speakers, challenged the party establishment from her table to do more to support women running for office.

Shelby County citizens voted 2-to-1 Tuesday, Nov. 4, against a proposed amendment to the Tennessee Constitution that gives the Tennessee Legislature the power to regulate abortion, including in cases of rape or incest.

Shelby County citizens voted 2-to-1 Tuesday, Nov. 4, against a proposed amendment to the Tennessee Constitution that gives the Tennessee Legislature the power to regulate abortion, including in cases of rape or incest.

The Shelby County Election Commission certified the August election results Monday, Aug. 25, at the beginning of a week that includes an early oath of office for those elected to county offices on the ballot.

It could have been an election about the local criminal justice system. The set of once-every-eight-years judicial races was the perfect frame for competitive races for district attorney general and juvenile court judge as the main events.

DISCRIMINATING TASTE. By all means, discriminate. Refuse to accept some prepackaged deal as the best you can do, some label to be the quality test. In the known, look for proven performance from each individual offering, standing alone, not just part of some group menu. In the unknown, demand fresh and bold, the promise of new and interesting interpretations from old and predictable ingredients.

The ad hoc committee that gathered municipal union leaders, city retirees and Memphis City Council members at the same table to talk about city health insurance meets Thursday, July 17, for the first time since the council approved health insurance plan changes that have drawn vocal protests from city employees and retirees.

On a Saturday afternoon with a crowded calendar of political events, state Rep. G.A. Hardaway invited the winners and losers from the May Democratic county primaries and local Democrats who are on the August ballot to stand together at an airport-area meeting room of about 100 people.

Former Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone will challenge incumbent Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell in the August county general election after winning the Tuesday, May 6, Democratic mayoral primary.

Former Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone will challenge incumbent Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell in the August county general election after winning the Tuesday, May 6, Democratic mayoral primary.

Shelby County voters will begin the process Tuesday, May 6, of electing a majority of new members to a Shelby County Commission that will also change to a set of 13 single-member districts when the winners take office on Sept. 1.

Early voting in advance of the May 6 county primary election day opens Friday, April 25, at 20 satellite locations across Shelby County.

A list of the locations can be found at www.shelbyvote.com. Polls are open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through the end of the early voting period Thursday, May 1.

Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell says “a lack of civility in public discourse” is one of several reasons many Shelby County voters seem uninterested or unaware of this year’s elections in Shelby County.

Shelby County voters begin deciding Wednesday, April 16, who holds 11 countywide offices, including Shelby County mayor and district attorney general, as well as 13 seats on the Shelby County Commission drawn with new single-member district lines.

Shelby County commissioners voted down a bid Monday, March 24, to rebid the county’s contract for federally funded family-planning services with Christ Community Health Services.

Some commissioners branded Commissioner Steve Mulroy’s effort to urge County Mayor Mark Luttrell’s administration to rebid the contract as a political effort. Mulroy is taking criticism from former Commissioner Deidre Malone in the three-way Democratic primary race for county mayor for his vote in favor of the contract in 2011.

The Memphis City Council chairman thinks the city shouldn’t take five or six years to ramp up to an annual pension fund contribution of $100 million but instead do it in two fiscal years.

“I think everyone is in uniform support of fully funding our annual contribution,” council chairman Jim Strickland said on the WKNO-TV program “Behind the Headlines.” “In fact, I don’t think we ought to take six years. I think we ought to take two years. Get it fully funded, whether its $60 million or $100 million.”

One of the six Shelby County Commission incumbents seeking re-election this year was effectively elected to a new four-year term in a new district with the noon Thursday, Feb. 20, filing deadline for candidates in the May county primaries.

The four likely contenders in the May Democratic primary for Shelby County mayor have already had their first debate. But there were no clashes among the quartet, at least not yet.

James Harvey, Deidre Malone, Kenneth Whalum Jr. and Steve Mulroy each spoke to the Shelby County Democratic Party’s executive committee two weeks from the Feb. 20 filing deadline for the May 6 primary election.

The four likely contenders in the May Democratic primary for Shelby County Mayor have already had their first debate. But there were no clashes among the quartet, at least not yet.

James Harvey, Deidre Malone, Kenneth Whalum Jr. and Steve Mulroy each spoke to the Shelby County Democratic Party’s executive committee two weeks from the Feb. 20 filing deadline for the May 6 primary election.

Shelby County Commissioner Steve Mulroy considered a bid for Shelby County mayor for the second time in a year and Monday, Feb. 3, pulled a qualifying petition to enter the Democratic primary just more than two weeks before the filing deadline for candidates in the May 6 county primaries.

Shelby County Commission Chairman James Harvey and former Shelby County Schools board member Kenneth Whalum Jr. have pulled qualifying petitions to run in the May Democratic primary for Shelby County Mayor.

Literacy is Key: A Book and Author Affair, sponsored by the Memphis Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma, will be held Thursday, Jan. 30, at 11 a.m. at the Holiday Inn University of Memphis, 3700 Central Ave. The program will feature W. Bruce Cameron, Joshilyn Jackson and Molly Crosby. Tickets start at $45; proceeds benefit First Book Mid-South. Visit memphiskkg.org.

Shelby County Commission Chairman James Harvey and former Shelby County Schools board member Kenneth Whalum Jr. have pulled qualifying petitions to run in the May Democratic primary for Shelby County Mayor.

TUNICA, Miss. (AP) – In cotton country a couple miles east of the Mississippi River, just off a road known as the blues highway, fourth graders at Tunica Elementary School are exploring the Delta's homegrown music to learn about rhythm, rhyme and chord progression.

As prospective candidates weigh special election races in the next three months for a state House seat and suburban school boards, there are also signs of life in Shelby County in the statewide races on the 2014 election ballot.

There was a brief time last year when it looked like 2013 would be that rare political creature in Memphis politics – an off-election year.

A citywide sales tax increase referendum in the late summer or fall is probably going to continue the unbroken string of more than 10 consecutive years with at least a special election on a ballot locally. Outside Memphis there are municipal elections in Lakeland and Arlington.

Megan Gatewood has been promoted to marketing director at Methodist Healthcare. In her new role, Gatewood is responsible for developing and overseeing marketing strategies for Methodist’s adult hospitals, outpatient services and physician practices.

A new statewide alliance has been formed by communications experts from Memphis to Knoxville to provide blanket geographic coverage for products and issues in Tennessee.

Coordinated by Nashville-based McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, the state’s largest PR firm, charter members of the Tennessee Public Relations Alliance are the Carter Malone Group of Memphis and Moxley Carmichael Public Relations of Knoxville.

NEW YORK (AP) – Barnes & Noble Inc. said Thursday that Liberty Media, the conglomerate controlled by John Malone, has dropped its $1 billion bid to buy the bookseller and instead will invest $204 million in the company.

The new Economic Development Growth Engine approved its existence Wednesday, Aug. 17, while also addressing some confusing technicalities.

“The president is selected by both mayors – this seems cumbersome,” former Shelby County Commissioner and EDGE director Deidre Malone said at the organization’s inaugural meeting at City Hall. “Having worked in the private sector and for an organization with a similar structure, I think it’s very interesting.”

The new Economic Development Growth Engine approved its existence Wednesday, Aug. 17, while also addressing some confusing technicalities.

“The president is selected by both mayors – this seems cumbersome,” former Shelby County Commissioner and EDGE director Deidre Malone said at the organization’s inaugural meeting at City Hall. “Having worked in the private sector and for an organization with a similar structure, I think it’s very interesting.”

At the end of a busy political year, the annual dinner of the local chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners included several kinds of survivors.

On one side of the room at the Crescent Club in East Memphis was Memphis City Council member Jim Strickland. On the other side was fellow council members Edmund Ford Jr. and Myron Lowery. It was an off election year for all three. Next year won’t be and Lowery will become council chairman.

The race for Shelby County mayor offers a choice between two very different politicians who, while in the political spotlight for years, have often been near the edges of that light.

Joe Ford, the interim Shelby County mayor and Democratic nominee, is a former Shelby County Commissioner and City Council member. He has served as chairman of both legislative bodies. Ford also is the face of the city’s most storied political family.

Interim County Mayor Joe Ford became the Democratic nominee for mayor in the August county general elections Tuesday night.

And the August sheriff’s race will be a contest between Democrat Randy Wade and Republican Randy Wade.

All three were among the winners in Tuesday’s low turnout county primaries.

Approximately ten percent of Shelby County’s nearly 600,000 voters cast ballots in early voting and election day polling.

Ford, who was appointed interim mayor in December, beat County Commissioner Deidre Malone and General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson in the Democratic primary. He will face Republican Mark Luttrell who had only token opposition in the Republican primary from perennial contender Ernie Lunati.

Luttrell has raised more money than all three of the Democratic primary contenders combined and began running television ads in the last week runup to election day.

The final unofficial totals in the Democratic mayoral primary are:

Ford 20,360 57%

Malone 12,916 37%

Jackson 2,168 6%

The pair of primaries for Sheriff featured eight candidates, seven of whom either currently work for the sheriff’s department or are past employees. Only Reginald French, in the Democratic primary was not a former or current department official.

Wade was the 2002 Democratic nominee, losing to Luttrell who is leaving as Sheriff after serving two terms. French was the Democratic nominee in the 2006 elections.

Oldham is Luttrell’s chief deputy, the number two position in the department. He is also a former director of the Memphis Police Department.

Voters in the primary elections decided to return six Shelby County commissioners to new four year terms with Tuesday’s results. They also elected six new commissioners. The winner of the thirteenth commission seat will be decided on the August general election ballot in a contest between district 5 Democratic incumbent Steve Mulroy and Republican challenger Dr. Rolando Toyos. The winner of the match up will determine whether the commission remains majority Democrat or goes majority Republican.

In the remaining ten contests, the primaries decided who gets the seats since no one ran in the opposing party’s primary.

The most hotly contested contest among the commission races was for District 4 Position 1. Outgoing Probate Court Clerk Chris Thomas beat John Pellicciotti, appointed to a commission seat last year but running for a different position in the same district. Jim Bomprezzi, the former mayor of Lakeland, was the third contender in the contest.

The final unofficial totals in the Republican primary:

Thomas 7,631 52%

Pellicciotti 4,871 33%

Bomprezzi 2,298 15%

In position 2 of the same district incumbent Republican Wyatt Bunker easily overcame two challengers with former Lakeland alderman John Wilkerson finishing second and Ron Fittes finishing third.

Millington businessman Terry Roland claimed the third position in the district that takes in all six of Shelby County’s suburban towns and cities.

Roland beat George Chism to take the seat Pellicciotti was appointed to but opted not to run for in deference to Roland.

Heidi Shafer, an aide to outgoing County Commissioner George Flinn, claimed Flinn’s District 1 Position 2 seat over Albert Maduska.in the GOP primary.

In the Democratic commission primaries, Melvin Burgess claimed Malone’s District 2 Position 3 seat in a field of six contenders. His closest contender was Reginald Milton. Burgess, a city school system audit manager, had run for the seat before. He brought in 54 percent of the vote.

The other hard fought Democratic commission primary saw Justin Ford, son of the interim mayor, claim his father’s District 3 Position 3 seat.

Ford beat Edith Moore, a retired IBM executive, whom the commission appointed to the seat after the elder Ford became mayor.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Ford 7,342 66%

Moore 3,822 34%

Democratic incumbent commissioners Henri Brooks, Sidney Chism and James Harvey were all re-elected over primary challengers.

The county-wide primaries for seven clerk’s positions saw the return of former Criminal Court Clerk Minerva Johnican 16 years after Republican challenger Bill Key took her job. Johnican decisively beat Ralph White and Vernon Johnson in her first bid for office since the 1994 defeat. She will face Republican Kevin Key, the son of Bill Key in the August general election.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Johnican 16,381 51%

White 10,170 31%

Johnson 5,954 18%

Former Juvenile Court Clerk Shep Wilbun easily won the Democratic primary with 76 percent of the vote to face Republican Joy Touliatos in August for the office being vacated by Republican Steve Stamson. Touliatos was unopposed in the primary.

Aside from Leatherwood, Jimmy Moore is the only other of the seven clerks seeking re-election. Moore ran unopposed in the GOP primary. He will face Democrat Ricky Dixon in August.

Trustee Regina Newman was appointed to her office following the death last year of Paul Mattila. Newman easily overcame M LaTroy Williams in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. She will face David Lenoir, who beat former Shelby County Commissioner John Willingham in the Republican contest.

The final unofficial vote totals are:

Lenoir 15,922 58%

Willingham 11,569 42%

The other six candidate field on the ballot was in the Democratic primary for Probate Court Clerk. Sondra Becton posted impressive vote totals over her rivals, bringing in 35 percent of the vote with Peggy Dobbins her closest rival. Becton, who is making her fourth bid for the office, will face Republican Paul Boyd, who ran unopposed in his primary.

The closest contest of the evening was in the Democratic primary for County Clerk. Wrestling promoter and television personality Corey Maclin won his political debut by less than 1,400 votes over Charlotte Draper and LaKeith Miller. He will face Republican Wayne Mashburn who beat Steve Moore in the companion primary.

Early voting in advance of the Aug. 5 election day begins July 16. The August ballot will also feature state and federal primary elections including the statewide primaries for governor and the primaries for all nine of the state’s Congressional districts.

After a year of turbulence, the Memphis political scene continues to remake itself.

The May 4 and Aug. 5 elections don’t have the focused drama of last October’s special election for Memphis mayor, but they represent new chapters in a story that could end with a new generation of political leaders and at least a passing of the political baton.

The Regional Medical Center at Memphis’ future grew more tenuous this week as Gov. Phil Bredesen and the Memphis political community staked out differing political stances.

However, Bredesen and Memphis Mayor A C Wharton Jr. began discussing the future of the county-owned and -funded hospital – even as Bredesen appeared to dismiss efforts by interim Shelby County Mayor Joe Ford to get emergency state funding.

Meanwhile, the Democratic primary for mayor grew to three contenders as General Sessions Court Clerk Otis Jackson filed his qualifying petition just before the deadline. He joins interim County Mayor Joe Ford and Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone.

Luttrell ruled out a bid for Shelby County mayor last year (2009). But when Harold Byrd decided not to run in the Democratic primary, some local GOP leaders asked Luttrell to reconsider.

The result touched off a scramble of candidates from both parties for the open sheriff’s office. But before the noon deadline, the initial field of over a dozen possible contenders was narrowed to ten – six Democrats and four Republicans.

The other surprise at the filing deadline was the return of attorney Walter Bailey to the District 2 Position 1 seat he gave up in the 2006 elections. Bailey sought re-election then to another term despite a two term limit on commissioners. Bailey lost to J.W. Gibson who decided not to seek re-election. He also lost a court fight to overturn the term limits.

Bailey was the only candidate who had filed for the seat at the Thursday deadline.

Only one incumbent county commissioner – Republican Mike Ritz -- was effectively re-elected at the deadline because he had no opposition.

All but one of the eleven contested County Commission races will be decided with the May 4 primaries. The only general election battle for the August ballot is the district 5 contest between GOP challenger Dr. Rolando Toyos and whoever wins the May Democratic primary between incumbent Steve Mulroy and Jennings Bernard.

Former County Commissioner John Willingham also returned to the ballot among a field of Republican contenders in the primary for Shelby County Trustee.

And former Criminal Court Clerk Minerva Johnican joined the Democratic primary field for her old job. Incumbent Republican Bill Key pulled petition to seek re-election but did not file at the deadline.

Here is the list of races and contenders from The Shelby County Election Commission. All candidate have until noon Feb. 25 to withdraw from the ballot if they wish.

One week from the filing deadline, the May 4 Shelby County primaries are still a work in progress.

The filing deadline for candidates is noon Feb. 18.

The top two countywide races were still taking shape Wednesday morning, and there’s ample evidence that what’s happening on one side of the partisan divide affects what could happen in the other set of primaries.